1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates in certain embodiments to methods and apparatuses for creating a visual display structure with a fade resistant surface finish. In particular, embodiments of the present application relate to methods and apparatuses using crushed glass particles to form a visual display structure designed to imitate a naturally occurring structure or produce a scenic element that can be used in an underwater, chlorinated environment or in other environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Man-made visual displays have been used for many years and serve many different purposes. Visual displays may include both two dimensional works, such as signs and billboards, and three dimensional works, such as statues. Visual displays serve multiple purposes. For example, while signs and billboards are designed to convey information to an observer, statues may be designed for decorative purposes around libraries, schools and other public places.
Man-made visual displays are found everywhere, from dense urban cities to rural farmlands to municipal parks. In particular, amusement park grounds offer a high concentration of visual displays designed to attract and entertain children and adults who have paid a fee to gain admittance into the park. Visual displays that may be found in amusement parks include murals, statues of famous cartoon characters, replicas of famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge, artificial structures such as sunken ships and man-made ruins, and structures designed to recreate and imitate structures found in nature, such as ice, snow, mountains, coral, and trees. These visual displays may be used in different locations throughout amusement park grounds, including above ground and underwater. Occasionally, a visual display may be exposed partly above ground, while the rest of it may be submerged underwater.
How a visual display is made often depends on the purposes of the visual display. For example, the purpose of a stop sign is to halt traffic and provide safety to pedestrians at any time of the day. The sign must be made of a material that can withstand outdoor elements such as wind and rain. The sign must be large enough so that the word STOP can be painted on the sign, and specific paints must be chosen such that the sign will be visible, reflective and non-corrosive.
Similarly, just like the example of the stop sign above, how a visual display is made will depend on the purpose of the display. For visual displays designed to recreate and replicate other objects (such as cars, animals, and landscapes), such as for decorations on amusement park rides, the purpose of these displays may be primarily aesthetic, and it is important that the displays resemble the objects that they are trying to imitate. These visual displays are often made to resemble the objects by painting the surface of the display so as to depict all of the surface features of the object to be imitated.
Visual displays may rely on multiple paints in order to resemble the object to be imitated. For example, latex and oil-based paints may be used specifically for outdoor visual displays because the paints exist in many colors, are easily available, inexpensive and are able to withstand wear and exposure to severe weather conditions. For visual displays that may be used underwater, such as in swimming pools or water-themed attractions at amusement parks, chlorinated rubber paints, such as polyvinyl chloride paints, may be applied on top of a base to make a visual display that may, for example, resemble a natural underwater structure such as rock, coral or vegetation.
Although the use of paint is a common and simple way to make a visual display resemble a natural structure, the use of paint also presents multiple disadvantages. For outdoor visual displays that use paint, the visual displays are often exposed to full sun exposure, which causes the paint to fade over time due to photodegradation caused by the sun's ultraviolet rays. Because of color fading, the visual display must be repainted or refinished numerous times throughout the display's lifetime use, which can be expensive and time consuming. Similarly, visual displays that are placed at least partially in underwater environments, such as in pools or amusement park attractions, are also subject to color fading due to possible exposure to a chlorinated environment. The average chlorine concentration in pools may be on the range of about 0.5 to 5 parts per million, while the concentration may be even higher in other environments, such as in underwater components of amusement park attractions, resulting in continuous fading.
Due to the continuous fading, underwater visual displays may need to be constantly repainted and refinished, which may require the additional effort of removing the displays from the underwater environment. For visual displays that may be grounded and fixed in an underwater environment, such as in a man-made lake or lagoon, water may need to be drained before the displays are repainted and refinished. For underwater visual displays that are painted, the fading process can be a noticeable problem within only about one year of making the display, depending on the exposure to sunlight and possible chlorination of the water. In some environments, the repainting and retouching process for visual displays may take place one or more times per year.
Some paints may also be considered unsuitable for the environment and may be too toxic to pass environmental standards set up by government agencies. For example, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is an air pollution agency responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in several counties of California. The agency is responsible for developing, adopting and implementing Air Quality Management Plans for the counties, and its plans must be complied with by many businesses, including amusement parks located throughout Southern California. As such, it is important that these businesses comply with the standards set by the AQMD, and other agencies, by using environmentally friendly materials that comply with regulatory standards.